Geraldine Viswanathan isn't a superhero but she's integral to Thunderbolts*
Geraldine Viswanathan has had a Hollywood ascension most Australian actors can only dream of.
Back in the mid-2010s, she was doing what a lot of local creatives have to do early in their careers: collecting the eclectic roles on offer in Australia in hopes that the next one will lead to The Big One.
There was a bit part in
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Viswanathan was two weeks into training to be a triple j presenter when she got her call-up for The Big One – a starring role in major studio comedy Blockers, alongside John Cena and Leslie Mann.
"It was so wild. I mean, I was stoked to work at triple j and get trained to host," she tells ABC Entertainment.
"I remember emailing [former triple j content director Ollie Wards] and being like, 'I think I have to go do this film with John Cena. I don't know when I'll be back but love you!'"
Since then, the 29-year-old actor has been quickly climbing the Hollywood ladder. She's starred in everything from
Now she's levelling up yet again for a starring turn in Thunderbolts*, the film that might just revive Marvel's muddy modern reputation.
Thunderbolts are go
It's been a rocky few years for the multi-billion-dollar Marvel Cinematic Universe franchise. Phase five (that's everything after the Black Panther sequel) of the studio's never-ending plan for world domination delivered critical clunkers but, more worrying for Marvel, it produced films that lost money.
Thunderbolts* is the last film of phase five, or rather a bridging film as fans brace for a fourth reboot of the Fantastic Four (this one has Pedro Pascal!) that will kick off phase six.
It's a volatile moment in the Marvel timeline: they need a hit and they are banking on a film where the highest-profile character is Captain America's ex-best friend.
There were vibes of quiet desperation in the months before the film's release, including a divisive teaser that touted all the talent Marvel had poached from art-house studio A24.
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But Marvel's prayerful roll of the dice has turned out in their favour. Thunderbolts* is being praised as the
Geraldine Viswanathan and Florence Pugh at the world premiere of Thunderbolts* in Hollywood.
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Supplied: Alex J. Berliner/ABImages
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It's a surreal time for Viswanathan to jump on the Marvel train, she says.
"This movie just feels like such a breath of fresh air. It has that old-school Marvel sensibility but with a kind of nuanced, complex, sort of A24 twist," she says.
"To enter the Marvel universe at all is such a dream but then to enter this way, in this company, with this team and these people, it's unbelievable. I feel really proud to represent Aussies in the Marvel Universe. Let's go!"
It wasn't a straight shot into Marvel for Viswanathan, who stepped into the human character of Mel after her friend and
"When I got the call, I was really sick in bed and my agent was like, 'Jake [Schreier, Thunderbolts* director] wants to call you'. And I was like, 'Why?'" she says.
"We got on a Zoom and I was in a sea of tissues. He pitched the movie and Mel to me because you can't read the script before you sign on.
"Then, at the end of the call, he asked me if I wanted to do it and I was like, 'Are you asking me to join the Marvel Universe?! Yes, of course!'"
Rise of the underling
Thunderbolts* is the adhoc name for the ragtag group of c-list superheroes that find themselves unintentionally smooshed together by CIA head Valentina Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus, doing Selina Meyer as a supervillain) who is in the middle of an impeachment.
"I really identified with Mel and the kind of moral decision that she has to make," Viswanathan says.
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Supplied: Chuck Zlotnick
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Mel comes into the scene as Val's dedicated assistant with an iPad permanently strapped to her hand, always ready to fulfil her bosses every whim — whether it be a good cup of coffee or the termination of "evidence" (real life humans).
"[Louis-Dreyfus] is so dedicated to making it as good as possible. She's very precise. She's very thoughtful with language," Viswanathan says.
"She's Julia Louis-Dreyfus! She could just show up and cruise but she puts her all into it."
As Val's ambitions get more megalomaniacal, Mel begins to question if she's on the moral side of the fight.
"It was really exciting to see Mel's arc. It's relatable, especially for young people who are ambitious and smart and want to be a force of good in the world," Viswanathan says.
"It's cool that a movie like this would talk about power so explicitly between two women, and that [Mel] kind of ends up as the secret weapon within the Thunderbolts."
'It's all going to be fine'
Viswanathan says she'll never forget the day she first stepped out onto a Marvel set.
Photo shows
Five people dressed as superheroes walk along a city street towards the camera, while looking up.
Director Jake Schreier bring his indie film chops to the MCU and delivers a fresh take on the superhero genre that's able to be a crowd-pleaser and explore darker themes in equal measure.
"It was this massive scene with hundreds of extras and a helicopter and huge trucks. It was all choreographed before we got there and I had this horrifying thought: 'If I mess this up, all of this has to reset,'" she says.
"There's so many moving parts. It felt more like theatre, it was really different to things I've done before, but a really exciting new challenge."
So, on the precipice of her biggest project yet, what would Viswanathan say to her younger self, slogging it out on small sets and five-minute stand-up spots?
"Keep going, don't stress, it's all going to be fine, it's all going to unfold," she says.
"I feel like I was really into unflattering, extremely high-waisted pants at the time so also, maybe invest in some better pants."
Thunderbolts* is in cinemas now.
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